Arts & Culture Working Group

Original Idea & History

The Arts & Culture Working Group was formulated as an idea of Art Center Board in October 2011. 

The Edina Art Center Board felt  the need to establish a volunteer working group to develop a vision and strategic plan for art and culture in Edina.

The rationale being that art and culture is Edina is fragmented. There are silos of activity at the Edina Art Center, Public Art Committee, 50th & France Business & Professional Association (Edina Art Fair), Centennial Lakes Park (Fall into the Arts), Edina Schools (musicals and theater) and other private interests (orchestras, dance groups and musical groups). Art and culture in Edina is underrepresented. Residents of Edina spend the better part of their cultural dollars outside of the city.

The approach starts with an “art inventor,” i.e. identify organizations, venues and activities where art and culture are produced and consumed in Edina. Then identify opportunities for augmenting the Edina art scene and establish a vision. The process envisioned is similar to the public process used for the Grandview Small Area Plan, involvement of the public through a series of community meetings, with input from art organizations around the metropolitan area (Walker, MIA, Theater groups, etc.).

Last December 2011 City Council passed the motion of the creation of the Arts & Culture Working Group of the Edina Art Center and encouraged the working group to be as open to resident participation as possible. The City Council has endorsed an Arts and Culture Working Group as initiated by the Edina Art Center board. The goal of the group is to gain an understanding of the art and culture related offerings in Edina and to recommend a strategy to the city.

The group’s goals include to:

• Identify constituents of art and culture in Edina
• Get a perspective on the artistic and cultural life/offerings in Edina
• Identify potential unmet needs in the community
• Uncover hidden gems
• Establish a dialog among the constituents
• Facilitate the involvement of Edina residents in Art and Culture
• Define a common forum that “unifies” Arts and Culture offerings
• Explore coordination/cooperation potential among the various groups
• Formulate a vision and strategy

Membership

Membership in the working group is open to anybody interested in the arts and culture. The group plans to meet monthly and has initiated an “art and culture inventory” of public and private organizations, venues and activities where art and culture are produced and consumed in Edina. We have also sketched out components of an initial vision.

Timeline to Date

January through March 2012 – The four members of the steering committee met to strategize and plan a large group meeting.

March 8, 2012 – First large group meeting held, Fireside Room, Edina Senior Center, 21 attendees
• Participants split into two group – Vision & Inventory, meetings held for each group

April 12, 2012 - Second large group meeting, Sherwood Room, Edina Senior Center, 15 attendees
• Participants chose areas of interest to research; music, dance, theater, home decoration, painting, cuisine, ceramics…

May 10, 2012 – Third large group meeting, Sherwood Room, Edina Senior Center, 8 attendees
• Naomi Griffith presented inventory of home decoration that would be used as a model to present to May 15 Joint Council work session with Art Center board

May 15, 2012 – Joint Work session, Community Room, Edina City Hall
• Thomas Raeuchle presents PowerPoint presentation of current work of Arts & Culture Working Group, requests intern and funding

June 1, 2012 – Potential Intern Candidate Interviewed
• Claire Lukens, graduate of Northwestern University, candidate for internship to assist with Arts & Culture Inventory by City Manager Scott Neal and Michael Frey

June 18, 2012 – Intern Claire Lukens begins internship